She cites Harrison's discussion of the use of Persepolis Fortification Archive materials:

"Looking at Persian sources, primarily the Persepolis tablets, Harrison
discusses the problems with this source of information: namely that
they derive from a very specific time period (late 6th and early 5th
centuries) and location and are written in Elamite and thus do not
reflect the entire empire".

"When discussing royal women, who are often depicted as crueller than
the Persian kings, Harrison notes two things: first: that Classical
depictions show Persian royal women acting primarily in the interests
of their families, holding vast power and demonstrating masculine
traits. However, Achaemenid scholarship views such depictions as
clichéd and the result of misogyny or ignorance and, therefore, to be
dismissed. Second: that despite the above opinions dismissing Greek
accounts, most Greek sources do loosely support Persian sources, in
particular the Persepolis tablets which show "enterprising and
resolute" Persian royal women. It is surmised that Achaemenid
scholarship has too great a desire to reverse the negative reputation
of Persian women noting that it is not only Persian women in Greek
sources who are depicted as cruel in the interests of their families".

Friday, February 03, 2012

A Senate
committee voted yesterday to make it easier for individuals to seize and auction
off priceless ancient Persian antiquities held by American museums and
universities in order to collect court judgments against the Iranian government.
Already, lawyers are in court trying to seize the Persepolis Tablets – priceless
2,500 year-old artifacts that provide a unique first-hand account of life in
the Persian Empire under Darius the Great.
If this proposal becomes law, the Persepolis Tablets are almost certain
to be confiscated from the universities and museums and sold to the highest bidders.The Persepolis Tablets are a part of our rich heritage that should
continue to be shared at museums and universities, not auctioned off like cheap
items on eBay.

Take
action now to protect our heritage!This
proposal by Senator Menendez (D-NJ) will soon be considered by the full Senate as
part of its latest Iran sanctions bill – which builds on the broad Central Bank
of Iran sanctions spearheaded by Senator Menendez just last December.
This is perhaps one of the starkest examples yet of how broad sanctions punish
ordinary Iranians and Iranian Americans, not the Iranian government.

With the Iranian people facing
unprecedented repression at home and economic warfare from abroad, we must
stand united against collective punishment and the looting of our very
heritage.

The Iranian government has harmed many
innocent lives, and its victims should receive just compensation. But we
must be able to protect the rights of victims without attacking our Iranian
heritage.

Take
action now to stop Congress from looting our history!NIAC has led the Iranian-American
community’s efforts to protect the Tablets, fighting in the courts, the
Congress, and even the White House to protect them. In order to permanently
secure these and all other priceless Persian artifacts under threat, NIAC has
called on Congress to change the law to protect all cultural artifacts held by
American museums and universities so our heritage will never again come under
attack